‘American Idol’ Star Leah Marlene Tells Fans She’s Made a ‘Very Hard Decision’

ABC Leah Marlene performing on season 20 of "American Idol"

Since the season 20 finale of “American Idol” on May 22, 2022, life has been full of ups and downs — and suitcases — for third-place finalist Leah Marlene. After the show ended, the soulful singer returned to her family home in Normal, Illinois, and then moved to Los Angeles on July 15. But in early September, she made the “very hard decision” to move again — this time to Nashville — and just shared with fans how it’s going and why she’s there.

Leah Marlene Says She Loves Her New Place & Roommates

Nashville is familiar territory for Marlene, who enrolled in 2019 at Belmont University to study songwriting for two years there. In 2021, she auditioned for “American Idol” and received a ticket to Hollywood, rolling through each round of the competition with flair. But shortly after moving to L.A., she vulnerably posted on social media that she was struggling with seeing fellow contestants land record deals and concert tours while she received no offers.

“I have been working my ass off nonstop to make something happen out of this and I feel like I’m going in never ending circles,” she wrote. “I feel very misunderstood by the industry and it has made me question everything about who I am and what I want.”

After some serious soul-searching, the 21-year-old decided she needed to live in Nashville for a while, so she gave up her sublease in L.A. In an Instagram Live session on September 11, Marlene gave fans the scoop on her latest move.

“My heart’s in L.A. I love L.A.,” she said from her new rental in Nashville. “But it just made sense career-wise to be here right now. And I feel so good about it. Like, it really was a very hard decision to make and I was on the fence about it for a while.”

Marlene has three female roommates, including fellow “Idol” alum Kailyn Roberson, who was eliminated from the competition during Hollywood week. Marlene called her new roomies “amazing, wonderful people.”

“I didn’t even know two of them. I didn’t even know their names before I moved in,” she revealed. “They’ve made me feel so at home. I’ve never felt this homey in a place that wasn’t my home. So I’m really grateful. The living situation couldn’t be any better.”

Marlene Will Join Many Fellow ‘Idol’ Alums in Nashville

ABC“American Idol” season 20’s Leah Marlene, winner Noah Thompson and Huntergirl in May 2022

Marlene is likely to see lots of familiar faces in Nashville, since so many “Idol” alums have made it their home, too, or frequently visit for work. Season 20 runner-up HunterGirl lives there and winner Noah Thompson is frequently in town for songwriting and recording sessions.

Some of the other recent “Idol” alums finding success in Nashville include season 19 winner Chayce Beckham, season 18’s Grace Leer, season 17’s Laci Kaye Booth, season 15 winner Trent Harmon, and multiple contestants from season 16 including winner Maddie Poppe and longtime love Caleb Lee Hutchinson as well as Gabby Barrett and husband Cade Foehner.

Superstars from the first decade of “Idol” also live in Nashville, including season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, and season 10 winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina, who just landed a brand new record deal there.

Marlene will continue to settle into her new nest in Nashville this week before hitting the road for a bunch of fall shows that begin September 19 in Canada and the U.S., including two shows back in Los Angeles.